Worst Show You've ever seen.. — Page 5

I think some people are confusing 'bad' with 'disappointing'.

For just plain awful, either 'Fame', (officially the dumbest show in the universe), or 'Jerry Springer', which is nowhere near as funny as it thinks it is.

PS I don't get the Wicked set design either.

I think the worst shows I have ever seen (aside from the disapointing performance with Melanie Griffith in CHICAGO) are the new 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ... a cute but annoying show, bad score, bad script ... and then the most recent (Pre-Robin De Jesus) performance (Back in August 2005) of Rent. I saw the touring Rent production years back and when I came to NYC to see it, I was really disappointed that the actors had a bad performance.

Good Vibrations.

Since I normally don't get to NYC each year until June or July I have the luxury of avoiding many of the awful shows (most have already closed by the time I am there). However, one of the times I came during the fall was to specifically see the production of Thou Shalt Not. That was probably the worst show I have ever seen ON Broadway.

The worst amatuer production I have ever seen was a high school production of How to Succeed. The show included all of the normal critcisms (not enough strong actors/singers/dancers for the parts, poor direction/choreography, less than stellar sets, etc.) but the worst part was that the performers had a hard time following the music because they were singing with a MIDI track that the teacher created using Finale! If they got lost the music kept on playing!

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Mister Matt,
I saw 'Jerry Springer' at the National Theatre in London and was really looking forward to it. The playbill was a scream, including the writers' favourite philosophies, (any show without a mirror-ball is a lecture...)
But the show itself was static, staged with so little daring that it really undermined the tone of the writing.
And then there was the audience- a really snobby crowd, laughing if an actor swore, in such a smug way it was as if they were congratulating themselves on being so broad-minded. It had a real, "I'm here to be seen" vibe. (OK, so I'm reviewing the audience at the moment), but the show fell into cheap, lazy jokes just when it needed to step up a gear- all it seemed to be saying was that Jerry's audience is trash, which is not exactly ground-breaking. The second act really failed to draw together the ideas of forgiveness and reconciliation.
I left at the end with a real bad-theatre headache.

Still, as this thread proves, tastes vary!

The worst professional show I have seen is probably the New Starlight Express in London (I was 14 and I knew it was bad), followed by Lestat.

As to non-professional, I think I'll go with a local production of "Reservoir Dogs" Macbeth, with the witches as homeless bag ladies climbing on chain link fences and everyone in cheap suits with guns. Not to mention that acting ability was pretty much lacking in all the leads.

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If you haven't read the novel WICKED, you won't get the set design. It has to do with the Time Dragon Clock.

I have to say my high school's production of A Wizard of Oz. I loved it until the curtain opened... cheesy cheesy.

Good Vibrations
Rent (Sorry)
Ring of Fire
Wonderful Town
Man of la Mancha
Sweet Chairty
Spelling Bee (Sorry Again)
And more...

Bring Back Birdie
Anne Margaret in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas revival
All Shook Up
Sweet Smell of Success
The Goodbye Girl


Best Little Whorehouse was a train wreck...but..the worst of the bunch would have to be...
Sweet Smell of Success... how so many talented people produced such a distasteful and boring night in the theatre still astounds me.

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ooooh....I forgot about Carrie. The songs between mother and daughter were strange but beautiful. The "slaughtering pigs" number is still unfortunately visible in my mind. I still choose Sweet Smell of Success. Carrie was beyond awful but never boring.

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I'll add one that nobody has mentioned yet.

"Up for Grabs", in London.

That, you may recall, was Madonna's attempt at the West End.

Enough said.

Broadway:

Bring Back Birdie
Doctor Jazz

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-WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ YOU MAY NOT APPROVE OF...YOU MAY THINK I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE...IT MAY NOT MAKE SENSE...ITS OKAY TO CRITISIZE, BUT PLEASE DO NOT INSULT-

1.) In My Life(Broadway)- It was too much for me, and (correct me if I am wrong) it seemed like it popped out of nowhere! Were there any other previews of it for critics to say "STOP THIS!"
2.) Cats (Broadway and Tour)- It was just an okay concept with one good song (Memory) it ran TOO long, and Andrew Lloyd Webber took it overboard just like he did with my next least favorite musical.
3.) The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway and I havent seen the tour)- I used to like it until after the 5th or 6th cast change. Rebecca Luker was very nice in it, as well as Sarah Brightman (Although I did not like the way she sang some of the songs).
4.) Chicago (Tour)- I saw it with Bianca Marroquin who did not do much for me. Her singing was mediocre, and her dancing was just okay. As for Terra MacLeoed (sp?) her portrayal of Velma was horrible. I did not even feel what Catherine Zeta Jones gave me during the Cell Block Tango (a quick chill down my spine) and I felt like she could do better.
5.) The Lion King (Tour and Broadway)- I have to say that I liked the scenery and costumes a lot, but I got so tired of it, and I want to state loud and clear that Disney has worn out their welcome. Although I am curious about Mary Poppins.
6.) Sweet Charity 2006 Revival (Broadway and soon to be tour)- I saw this show the night that Christina Applegate was out so I have no right to say that she was bad. I actually want to say that the standby, Charlotte d'Amboise...practically saved the show and kept me from walking out at intermission. I loved her so much. She knows how to dance, she knows how to sing, and something you can rarely find in my opinion on Broadway (that is in musicals) is act well, in which she blew me away. On the other hand. Dennis o'Hare was not pleasing. I loved him in Take Me Out and I was expecting more! I mean anyone could have played that role and he needed to make it his own. Another thing is WHY DO A FOSSE SHOW WITHOUT FOSSE'S CHOREOGRAPHY?! That upset me. It was just a bad show all in all...they cut some stuff and changed some stuff which upset me. I did not like this show at all.


Those are my least favorite shows I have seen.